Ashley Waldron scores with her invention
Ashley Waldron, a sophomore engineering major from Jackson, NJ, could affectionately be called a “rink rat.” With an older brother who played hockey, Waldron spent a lot of time in ice rinks. As a teenager, she worked at an ice rink and was the manager of her high school’s ice hockey team. She is currently one of the student equipment managers for Boston College’s men’s ice hockey team.
Now, her knowledge of hockey, coupled with her engineering mindset, has led her to design and create a new device being used by the high-ranked Eagles.
Waldron’s device, currently called SaucerPost, is used by players when practicing their stickhandling and puck-passing skills. SaucerPost sits on the ice and has several slots around its outside that can accommodate a hockey stick shaft. This allows coaches to have a shaft secured on each end by the SaucerPost, resulting in the shaft being slightly elevated off the ice. The players can practice saucer passes by lifting the puck over the shaft. They can also practice passing the puck underneath the shaft and then flipping the puck over, as well as other drills. It is also possible to use multiple SaucerPosts to set up a series of linked shafts to configure a type of obstacle course.
Waldron designed SaucerPost using Fusion 360, a software application by Autodesk, and then created it using the 3D printer in the maker space at BC’s 245 Beacon Street science building. Waldron estimates she went through about seven prototypes before arriving at the current version. It is stackable for easy transport and to allow for different shaft heights for the drills. It’s also a very sturdy device with an outer shell made of polylactic acid and an internal weight.
Typically, stickhandling drills involve a set-up made of a couple of pucks taped to the bottom of each end of a hockey stick shaft to give the small elevation needed. The homemade system is common, used by beginners as well as collegiate athletes, but it has shortcomings—most notably an inability to stay in one piece.
“I was talking with [Assistant Equipment Manager] Adam Krinsky about what we could do to improve the set-up. The guys use it often, especially in the off-season, but it’s breaking all the time. I said, ‘I have access to a 3D printer. I could talk to the coaches and come up with a design that we think would work and look good.’”
Ashley Waldron '26 works on the 3D printer, the equipment she used to make her SaucerPost creation.
Developing and building a solution with real-world application is something Waldron gets a charge out of as an engineering major.
“I’ve always loved math and sciences,” said Waldron. “I knew from a young age that I wanted to do something in the STEM field.”
When it came time to look at colleges, Waldron had her eye on several engineering schools—but not BC. Her mother convinced her to see the campus while they were visiting other Boston-area schools. (“Let’s just go see it. I’ve heard it’s gorgeous,” Waldon recalls her mom telling her.)
While on campus, they joined a tour in progress, where Waldron learned that BC had just launched its Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) program in the fall of 2021.
“I was blown away by the idea of human-centered engineering, something that I’d never heard of before,” said Waldron. “It was a risk because the program was so new, but also very exciting. I like that you can take any form of engineering and figure out a way to do something that is of your interest but also is for others. The interdisciplinary nature of the program was a huge draw for me. I fell in love with BC and knew I needed to come here.”
Through her Introduction to Human-Centered Engineering course, Waldron got certified to use the 3D printer, laser cutter, and sewing machine. In addition to the hands-on experience, engineering at BC also features a distinctly Jesuit component: reflection.
The HCE Reflection course greatly appeals to Waldron. “That’s our time to focus on how we can be externally and internally whole people, men and women for others, by being conscious of our environment and how people live differently. It’s also about being conscious of ourselves and how we can manage our responsibilities.”
Her favorite class so far has been Making the Modern World: Design, Ethics, and Engineering, taught by John W. Kozarich ’71 Chair of Engineering Glenn Gaudette and Assistant Professor of the Practice Jenna Tonn.
“The class was amazing. It was about the ethics and the history of engineering, with a focus on designing with intent. It taught us to learn from the mistakes of the past when designing for others. I had never really thought of history and engineering in that way.”
When not in 245 Beacon St., Waldron spends most of her time in Conte Forum or traveling with the hockey team.
“I’ve been around hockey my whole life, so I thought it would be a really cool opportunity to work with the hockey team,” said Waldron, who is in her second year with the program.
“I love working with the team. It’s been such a great experience. I’ve learned a lot about hockey, obviously, and equipment, but also about life, and being able to navigate things that are difficult or don’t go exactly the way that you want them to.”
Supporting a Division 1 team is a significant time commitment, said Waldron, one of five student equipment managers. “I’m there every day for as long as the players are—more if I’m doing laundry. Our job is to do whatever we can do to make sure that the players can get on the ice and play to the best of their ability. We take care of everything off the ice, like sharpening their skates, so they don’t have to think about anything but playing.
“Packing a bus for a road trip is a lot of work. There’s a lot more that goes into it than people realize. You need to be prepared for anything and everything. There’s not a lot of space under those buses. It’s like Tetris. It definitely takes everybody; it’s a big team effort.
“I love working with the team. It’s been such a great experience. I’ve learned a lot about hockey, obviously, and equipment, but also about life, and being able to navigate things that are difficult or don’t go exactly the way that you want them to.”
The players and coaches have given Waldron positive feedback on her creation. “The players have really taken to it. They love it and use it a lot in the shooting room.”
SaucerPost has also piqued the players’ curiosity about its origin. “When I was working on my laptop trying to improve the design, the players would come over and ask me how I made it and how the software program works. It’s been really fun to give them a little insight into engineering.”
A big fan of Waldron and her ingenuity is BC Trustee Susan Martinelli Shea ’76. Waldron is a Shea Family Pops Scholar and first met Shea in 2022 during a reception at the annual Pops on the Heights Scholarship Gala.
“When Ashley told me that she was majoring in engineering, I started to cry,” said Shea, explaining that Waldron was the first BC engineering major she had ever met. “I told Ashley she was making history at Boston College.”
In addition to seeing each other at the Pops concert each September, the pair has stayed connected through texting.
“Sue’s an amazing person,” said Waldron. “She cares so much, not just about your education, but about you as a person. That comes across immediately. She wants to hear what you’re doing. She’s been an outstanding person to know.”
“Ashley’s a superstar. She’s very, very special,” said Shea. “I feel so blessed that Boston College put her in my life.”